Myriad shafts are used and deployed to secure loads. The term “shaft” as used in this document includes at least non-exclusive items such as poles, handles, bars, pins, axle, rod and other shafts. While shafts are thought of as primarily cylindrical, the cross-sectional shape of a shaft is not a limitation of the present invention. Loads placed on a shaft may arise from a variety of forces, either alone or in combination. Sources for such forces may include wind, air, and other elements. As is commonly known, when one or more forces acts on a shaft, a torque may be formed whose vector along an x-axis may tend to produce a rotation around the y-axis known as precession. Precession may generate significant angular velocities or torques. These forces may individually and collectively contribute to inducing rapid wear of shafts and any connecting parts to which shafts are mounted. Such forces also may create reciprocating forces that may lead to even higher stresses and vibrations as forces increase on or along a shaft. Such forces may be transmitted to connectors holding a shaft to a surface, and may buckle or degrade the surface itself.
In an environment noted as one non-exclusive example, tower structures called wakeboard towers often are mounted on boats and other vessels (collectively, “boats”). Wakeboard towers include a number of shafts secured to a boat hull. During operation of a boat having a wakeboard tower, particularly operation of a boat at significant speeds, forces are applied to the wakeboard tower components, and to the hull of a boat to which the tower is mounted. Such forces may arise from the velocity of the boat, air pressure, wind, rain and other elements. The forces applied are not exclusively linear; such forces also may be eccentrically applied against the shaft, and to the hull surface to which the tower is attached.
A significant problem for mounting such towers on boats arises from the fact that boat hulls, particularly where it would be advantageous to mount shafts associated with such towers, are commonly curved rather than straight or planar. Therefore, conventional devices for mounting the shafts included in such apparatus as wakeboard towers must either be mounted in a single position only, or the shape of the boat hull must be formed or modified to accommodate the mounting gear. None of the current solutions for mounting the shafts that comprise such a tower provide an apparatus for mounting the tower shafts on a universe of curved surfaces. Also, none of the methods for mounting such shafts provides a variably positionable universal device mountable on a curved surface that avoids modifying an existing surface on which the shaft is to attached.
Therefore, a previously unaddressed need exists in the industry for a new and useful apparatus, and method for manufacturing such an apparatus, capable of being mounted on a curved mounting surface that also is capable of being adjusted to accommodate any dimension and configuration of boat hull or other structure to which the apparatus is attached. Particularly, there is a significant need for a variably positionable coupler system mountable on a curved surface that overcomes the effects of forces that may be applied to a shaft mounted on such a coupler system, and allows a user to configure the coupler to accommodate the size and shape of the object on which the coupler is mounted.
In prior approaches, various means have been suggested for mounting shafts on curved surfaces and for distributing the effect that forces on shafts. In the environment of boats, various suggestions have been offered for mounting wakeboard towers on boats. Such solutions have several limitations. One limitation is the need to custom design a wakeboard tower installation to a specific boat and to a specific boat's dimensions. An alternative solution has been to insert rubber or other malleable material in, for example, multiple points of connection between a shaft and the apparatus suggested for mounting the shaft on a curved surface. Most solutions, however, also are limited to providing a single bolt on which all forces and stresses are applied during operation of a boat. Finally, in the boat industry, no effort has been made to offer a standardized variably positionable coupler that is universally adjustable for accommodation to any dimension of the boat, any dimension of shafts, and to any shape of the hull of a craft, including a curved surface.
The advantages, objects and features of the coupler system of the present invention will, therefore, become apparent to those skilled in the art when read in conjunction with the accompanying following description, drawing figures, and appended claims.